Monday, May 11, 2015

Appointment Update...

A quick update regarding our follow up appointment this morning... We were really hoping the fluid in my uterus would go away and we could focus on moving forward with the embryo transfer, but that's not the case. The fluid is still there and our Doctor would like to go ahead and start the progesterone on Thursday to prepare for the transfer next Tuesday, sometimes when progesterone is added the fluid will take care of itself. We are scheduled for a follow up with her on Monday morning to check on the fluid and if all looks good then we will transfer an embryo on Tuesday. If the fluid is still there then we will cancel for this month and start over next month.

I've convinced myself that we will probably not transfer this month, just to save my sanity. We want the BEST possible environment for our embryo and if we have to wait for perfection then I will gladly wait. We appreciate all the prayers and positive words from all of you, please keep them coming over the next few weeks. I began praying for patience and I truly feel like my prayers are being answered because I feel more at ease about all the waiting. Have a great week everyone!

Love,

Lauren & Matt

Friday, May 8, 2015

A Bump in the Road...

I decided to update today since I sort of already did via Facebook.... If you've been following you know that we were scheduled to transfer an embryo next Tuesday, but that has since changed. We had a follow up appointment on Wednesday to make sure the uterine lining was thick enough to transfer as well as blood work. During the ultrasound my doctor found that I had some fluid build up in my uterus and decided to have me come back today to see if it would go away on its own. Well, it didn't and now our transfer is on hold for now... We go back on Monday to see if it has resolved and if it hasn't I will go ahead and start a progesterone supplement to see if that will help and if it does then it's great we can schedule the transfer the following week. However, if the fluid is still present then we will cancel this cycle and more than likely I will need a hysteroscopy (exploratory surgery of the uterus) to figure out exactly what is going on.

I'm feeling extremely overwhelmed, disappointed, sad and a bit defeated.... I know we have so much to be thankful for and we have these 2 embryos that need the perfect home in my uterus. I know that we have to be cautious and wait for EVERYTHING to be perfect for the transfer to happen, but it's just disappointing. I am definitely having my patience put to the ultimate test. A friend of mine said to me, "just remember this is your bump." She's right, it's just a bump in the road and we have to keep moving forward. I have to trust my doctor and the process. They say "good things come to those who wait" and I believe its true.

Please pray that we have the strength and patience to get through these next few weeks, we appreciate all of the positive thoughts and prayers we have received. 

Love,

Lauren & Matt

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Update

Hi everyone! It's been about a month since my last update... It's been a rough couple of months emotionally and physically. The treatment required getting multiple injections in my abdomen every night for a couple weeks. I'm not a fan of needles, but Matt was very patient and by the end of the stimulation phase he was a PRO at giving shots. The side effects were not as terrible as I expected, I was extremely tired, emotional and gained weight, but nothing I couldn't handle.

Once we finished all the stimulation medications we had to go through the Egg Retrieval procedure. We were very nervous going in because my body didn't respond to the medication as well as we had hoped and I only produced 5 eggs which were retrieved during the surgery.  Out of the 5 eggs, 4 fertilized and only 3 embryos were cultured for the chromosome testing. We decided to have the embryos tested to make sure we would be transferring a healthy embryo and increase our chances for success. We received the results today and we have TWO healthy embryos. We will only transfer one and the other will be frozen for later use. We are so thankful that our prayers were answered and we have these two healthy embryos.

I have started taking a daily estrogen supplement and will increase the dosage tomorrow. We have an appointment for an ultrasound and blood work scheduled for next Wednesday. If all looks good we will go in for the embryo transfer on May 12th. We would appreciate your prayers over the next few weeks. This process has been emotionally and physically draining on both Matt and I, but we would do it over and over again. I know I married the right man, he has been by my side through it all and I couldn't ask for a husband. As Matt always says, "we are one day closer."

Love,

Lauren & Matt

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Treatment Update...

Hi everyone! Most of you know that the IUI was not successful and we were disappointed. We had so much hope that the treatment would work and it when it didn't we took the news pretty hard. We just had no idea what to do next because we thought for sure it would work. I will admit that the emotions got the best of me and I found it hard to talk to my family and friends about my feelings. I felt a huge sense of failure and that won't make sense to most people because I had no control over the treatment, but in my own mind it felt like I had failed. Matt was so supportive and he held me when I needed to cry, tried hard to cheer me up and kept pushing me to think about what we were going to do next, because giving up was not an option. I love him so much for being my rock during all of this.

When we realized the treatment didn't work we scheduled an appointment the same day with our Doctor to discuss our options. She explained that the chances of IUI being successful were less than 25% and if we wanted to increase our odds we needed to think about IVF. We hadn't really thought about IVF and now we needed to make a decision based on the information she provided in 20 minutes regarding the procedure. Talk about information overload! I remember the doctor leaving the room so Matt and I could talk it out, I just cried. I couldn't believe we were sitting there talking about this, it hit me all over again as if she had just given me my diagnosis for the first time. It took Matt to tell me that we could do this together! He's right, we can do this and we are doing this!

We immediately got a plan from the doctor and she and her team have been phenomenal with all of the questions we have regarding the treatment. We started with bloodwork and then an IVF training class on how to do the injections correctly. I am working on mentally preparing myself for all of these injections, I have a phobia of needles and last month only needed TWO injections the entire month. I will be receiving TWO PER DAY this month so no time to be scared! I will also be taking oral medications along with the patches and of course the injections. I will take any amount of medications to have our baby. I have the best husband and family anyone could ask for so we will get through this!

Treatment will start on Monday and will take 2-3 cycles to complete so I will do my best to keep everyone posted on our progress. I appreciate all the phone calls and text messages we received this past week, it meant a lot to both of us. Prayers would be greatly appreciated as we continue our journey.

Love,

Lauren & Matt


Monday, March 16, 2015

The Results were Negative

Hi everyone... If you've been following our blog, you know that we had the blood pregnancy test performed this morning and the results were negative. We already knew because my cycle started yesterday so it was no surprise when we received the results. I'm emotionally overwhelmed and very sad that the treatment was not successful. We met with our fertility specialist this afternoon to discuss our options going forward. We have made our decision, but we are still emotionally overwhelmed. We have a lot to think about and will share our decision once we've had time to process everything ourselves.

Blogging has provided me with an outlet to express my feelings and share our journey, but right now I need time to think and deal with my emotions. I will post again when I feel ready. Thank you all for the prayers and kind words.

Love,

Lauren & Matt

"The pain you've been feeling, can't compare to the joy that's coming." Romans 8:18

Monday, March 9, 2015

Halfway through the TWW...

Hi everyone! Just a little update, we are officially halfway through the "two week wait!" One week from today we will find out if the IUI treatment was successful. We have been thinking positive thoughts and praying that it worked and both have a good feeling.

I started on a new drug last Wednesday to supplement the progesterone hormone that I must have been lacking. The side effects are not awful, I would explain them to be more like really intense PMS symptoms. I will take all the negative side effects in the world! I will stay on the progesterone until we complete the pregnancy testing next Monday. The time has really flown by and next Monday will be here before we know it. We have a busy week ahead with work and planning for Rylan's 7th Birthday Party on Saturday. We are so excited to have our families here to visit for the weekend so that will definitely keep us busy and make the time pass even faster.

I just wanted to update everyone and express my appreciation for all the prayers and kind words we've received over the last several weeks. The support we have received means the world to Matt and I. Please keep the prayers and good vibes coming. We will update the blog on Monday after we receive our results.

Love,

Lauren & Matt


Monday, March 2, 2015

Two Week Wait...

Hi everyone! Dr. Hudson said it "went beautifully!" The insemination took 2 minutes followed by laying still for 10 minutes before getting up and then we were done! It was pretty neat to be able to watch the sperm being pushed into my uterus on the ultrasound monitor. We left and I have been home relaxing for the day and catching up with a friend, just relaxing... We have a great feeling about everything and will continue thinking positive thoughts along with our daily prayers.

I will begin taking progesterone daily on Thursday until we go back to the doctor on March 16th for a blood/urine pregnancy test. It's going to be the longest 2 weeks of our lives, but we will stay busy to try and pass the time.  We are so blessed to have such a wonderful support system of family and friends so I'm sure we will be fine. Please keep us in your prayers over the next couple weeks.

Love,

Lauren & Matt